Product accumulation systems are routinely used in conjunction with conveyors for the storage and accumulation of products which are fed from upstream sources onto conveyors. In the normal operation of a typical system, products are placed on a conveyor at the upstream location, for instance at one operational station, and then transported to a downstream location by a conveyor where the next step in the manufacture or distribution of the products is to be accomplished. When there is a disruption at a downstream location which prevents the downstream destination from accepting products, system products which would normally be transported to the area of the disruption can be received and temporarily stored by an accumulator which is integral to the system. Examples of effective product conveyor and accumulation systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,287 and 6,959,802.
As products with particular configurations, e.g. elongated bottles, circulate around such conveyor/accumulation systems and other conveyor systems where some products are discharged downstream while others remain in the system, they are subject to product disruptions within the system. These disruptions especially occur just prior to product discharge downstream. Discharge disruptions primarily involve the bunching and nesting of products, which result in product instability and fallen and misaligned products. The outfeed rate and hence the efficiency of the system decreases and, when the disruption blocks the discharge, the entire system usually must be stopped to address the problem.
This situation is most prevalent as products reach and contact the discharge location or discharge point, usually the front end of the product discharge guide. Upon reaching this discharge point, products may begin to bunch and nest. As additional products enter the system from the upstream destination, they push the nested products which are ahead of them, causing product instability and exacerbating what may already be a clogged outfeed.
These problems are especially troublesome and are, in fact, exacerbated when the system is started up following a shutdown to address a downstream condition. Prior to such a shutdown, the system is routinely shifted, by a diverter gate-type element or similar means, from a product delivery mode to a product accumulating mode. As discussed in the above referenced patents, this allows for product accumulation while the downstream condition is being remedied. However, upon start-up, when the gate is opened and the system is returned to its product delivery mode, the immediate rapid influx of products at the discharge location results in increased nesting, bunching, and product turbulence, which, once again, creates the real threat of disruption of product flow.
While the systems in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,287 and 6,959,802 evidence significant, novel and effective systems in the conveying and accumulation of products, the systems disclosed and discussed therein do not specifically address the above stated problems of product instability at outfeed locations, under varying operating conditions.